Trooth - Reborn [REVIEW]

 Trooth - Reborn review by Styla

Finally, after 9 to 12 months of hard work, hours of producing, recording, studio time, the dedication and support of many, Ryan Samuels, better known as MCee TROOTH in Perth’s Hip Hop community, blessed us with his new album 'REBORN', officially released February 15 2012.

With beats and production from Dean 'Loftee Beats' Lofts, from Perth Underground, as well as Mat Rafle, known for his love of sampling, REBORN is a well received addition to Australian Hip Hop. Before I start to break down certain elements to the album, I feel like giving my overall feeling for REBORN, from a fan’s/listener’s point of view first. Like any album I buy, there are songs which grab me immediately. It may be a certain beat that gets my attention right away, or 4 bars from the first verse of a track, or a hook, or it could be just one sound or harmony that strums the chord within your soul and you don’t know why, but you love it. REBORN is no different. Yes, there are some tracks I find more enjoyable than others, however there isn’t one track I don’t like. The high points to REBORN is definitely TROOTH’s raw and witty lyrics, from silly to serious, to confronting and heartbreaking, as well as his consistent delivery and execution, multi’s, his punch lines, wordplay and content. So, my overall feeling? Well lets just say I repeated many songs over and over again, some made me laugh, some made me angry or hyped up, some I couldn’t help but to sing along. Hell, I even blasted it in my car at the lights with my shitty stock standard stereo system. To me, when and artists can get your feelings to follow along with them, as well as keep your attention, that’s a job well done, and something that all artists who are serious about what they do should try to achieve. So……let’s do it!

When I first listened to the album in whole, letting each track play in the order presented, I immediately thought, “RAW”, Trooth is definitely as raw as they come, with a bachelor degree in Rawness. Each track feels like Trooth is dispersing his lyrics right there next to you, without any magical fancy electronic voice tuning, no auto-tune bullshit, technical voice alterations, just Trooth, spittin raw. I personally think it’s important to mention this because I think it says a lot about Trooth as an artist and as a person. REBORN provides the listener with a path to some dark places, as well as some insight into the direction Trooth is moving in, adamant that he not be deterred in any way.

This leads to the first track off of REBORN, “Love of Hip Hop,” and the title pretty much explains itself, as Trooth explains to us that his love for Hip Hop is his muse, his drive in life, he names some artists he’s been inspired by, and how music feeds his hunger to be a positive addition to the Hip Hop Culture everywhere. The hook cuts in with a fitting sample and definitely contributes to the content of the song. It’s a great intro to the ride Trooth is about to take you on, and importantly, I think the opening track is important on any album from any artists from any gender, and here Trooth reminds the listener that this album is all because of his love for Hip Hop, however the lyrics also indicate his respect on how Hip Hop has been his saviour through life. Props.

Track 2 comes in with a Latino switch up type of vibe, I’m shit with instruments, but know this, it definitely sounds latinoish… Anyways, the track is called “Knocked Out” , where Trooth comes out just as consistent in delivery and execution as the first, giving a taste of wordplay, multi’s – punches and attitude, with lines like “We’ll tea bag an aneroxic / while she’s spittin, bringing a new meaning to skinny dippin…” you can’t help but smile, as it’s full of lines just like this. Basically, you will get knocked the fuck out if you challenge Trooth in this game of lyrical warfare…

So one of my favourite tracks kicks in, “Addict” , this track cracks me up every time I listen to it, however the more I hear the everything Trooth is sayin, it leads me to believe that he’s giving us an insight into a dark world that once was, but is no more, and is able to put a comical twist on something that is very real today in regards to addiction. Whether insight to Trooth himself, or addicts in general, I myself can relate to many of things stated within this track, and it allows the listener to be able to understand yet smile regardless. Filled with outrageous lines like “You see – if there’s wine in the house / there’s a looker like Amy Winehouse on the couch / she’s slouched / Drool from the mouth / the fool hasn’t figured out that she’s got stool on her snout / I can’t talk – the night before / I drank ales like a whale til I couldn’t walk / I went pale my senses set sail…..” and on and on…. The hook is catchy, and after listening to it you will eventually find yourself singing along, in front of you boss, and wonder why the next day you’ve been scheduled in for a “random” piss test…..

“Going Out Like That” opens up with another latinoish sounding track, with a hook influenced and even somewhat interpreted in a similar style as B-Real from Cyprus Hill. Probably one of my least favourite songs on the track, however not horrible to listen to, filled with plenty of clever lines and wordplay, I feel at times some nonsense was thrown in just to fill gaps or rhyme filler, especially after listening to the rest of the album and seeing the creativity and dedication put into other tracks. Overall enjoyable, yet not grasping as others. However as far as the raw delivery, consistent execution, sound quality and overall production there’s no complaints.

“Tender Lovin” – Even at this moment as I’m typing this review, listening to this track – I want to hit repeat just for the opening of this song….oops, did it already… opening with some banging strings and what sounds like harmonised vocals faint but there, and Trooth perfectly coming to the front with “It’s like I gotta pressure / pressure to be fresher / fresher to impress ya to have the highest measure…” This track has so much to say in every verse it would be impossible for me to not write a War and Peace paper on it. Let’s say this – Tender Lovin is needed for everyone, and everyone needs it, they need it in their family, their pressures, their stresses, their forms of expression, their times of loneliness, times of helplessness, times of watchin your homies getting screwed but you can’t do shit about it, the drug addict, in your belief system – or better yet FROM your belief system. Basically, anyone and everyone is able to say “My soul my life aint right but all it needs is ‘Tender Lovin’…” at one point in their life. Dope track, and Mat Rafle provides one hell of a platform for Trooth spill his guts in the most clean and smooth way….DOPE. If you agree, be sure to peep the video too, directed by one of L.A.’s finest, James Wade.

“Bleeding” Trooth portrays a man strung along in a relationship that he eventually realized was poisoned with lies and betrayal. I mean, what else can I write, if you’ve been burnt, you know exactly the pain and anger flowing through his delivery. Loftee provides a sound that immediately sends me into early Slim Shady land, and I think even Trooth felt this as there’s a moment where he viciously spits bars that remind me of an angry early Eminem. Overall this is a dope topical rhyme….

“Mic Check” – Man, this track is just full of some great punches, metaphors, puns….I love the chorus especially, and the beat is great. Just peep this shit for yourself, it’s silly Trooth packin a right hook, and if you duck you’ll get a left handed uppercut….with lines like “Just in case I lose it / I’ll ram ya head my speakers so you pause and I’m forced to face the music…” and it goes on… a diss to wackness, wann be emcees who Trooth questions in his hook “Microphone check one – check two / is there anyone out there man? Microphone check one – check two / am I the only one who gives a damn?? / Microphone check one – check two / Ummm - Hello? Hellooo?”
HELLO?!

“Spit Like It This” – “Yeah – Everyone says yeah, I’mma say Nah….” – Another track full of lines packed with punches to another bangin Loftee Beat, basically backing up Mic Check with a challenge, a challenge to “Spit It Like This” – go ahead – do it….with nothing in ya pockets…Great combo with Loftee and Trooth…REPEAT

“Reborn” – Initially I didn’t think I’d like this track, as the beginning beat just didn’t appeal to me, because as soon as it started I thought of Elton John, and no offence, he’s a great artist, pianist, etc, but he creeps me the f*ck out…anyway, this song, sharing the same name as the album itself, is one of the tracks I’ve skipped the most. Now, not because it’s bad, because once I shook off the eerie feeling of Elton John, it kicks in with a tune that strikes an inner chord inside me and then followed up with a powerful story. I skip this song the most mainly due to the impact of it, as I can relate a lot to this song, and it’s one of those tracks that combine a sad tale with a message of hope. The only thing I can say about this track, is that production wise I think Trooth’s vocals felt as if they were behind the beat, in other words I felt Trooth was a bit muffled and his vocals were too much “in” the beat, instead of in front of it. I had to adjust my equalizer a bit on my system in order to get a good quality sound so I could hear what Trooth was saying without concentrating too hard on it.

“Sixteen Bars A Day” – Just what the doctor prescribes to maintain a lyrically healthy diet! Nuff said.

“Washed Hands” – Loftee Beats provides the soundtrack while Trooth provides the storyline for a tale of betrayal from that one person you called a homie until you find out they were scheming and deceiving you behind your back. Dope track….

“Rock You” – My second favourite track on the album. Look, everyone likes a song that brings that “anthem” feel, the track where you wanna bounce along and sing the hook too…This is that track for me on this album. The only thing I can pick out on this track is that I think the hook should of definitely been stronger, whether through mixing or getting more back up vocals cuz that’s the bit I shout along with, and in front of a crowd, the hook would definitely grab the attention of all viewers. I must add, even though this track is one of my favourite, a few of the beats from Loftee up to this point have a noticeable signature, a little high pitched dribble that sneaks in, and I think that it could be left out or even used in moderation, because I after I picked up on this I heard it every time it came out and it’s somewhat distracting.

“Power Of One” has a beat that is smooth as butter, and I honestly don’t know what it is about this track I like or don’t like, I mean, there’s just something about it that I love. There’s a couple of noticeable spots where I feel Trooth may have slipped a tad in his delivery, and initially I thought the hook was too lazy, like there wasn’t a lot of effort put into it, however I can’t NOT sing along with it, and the more I listen to it the more I think it fits, yet a part of me wants more. I’ll leave it that, because I’m unable to really express my thoughts with this one.

Last but not least, Trooth ends the journey with “Drug Related” – a story telling track that tells of what I feel is a tale of an abused boy, and possibly a true story or a story close to the truth, or the mind of the abused…The track itself is 3:20, with Trooth delivering a 3 minute verse of nonstop topical lyricism, however it’s not one I would bump, or listen to repeatedly, but one I payed attention to, because I needed to hear how it ended. And so do you!

Conclusion – Production wise, beat wise, etc…there are moments where I think Trooth is in the beat instead of on it, and I felt that at times where energy was needed for hooks or backing vocals, although present, needed to be stronger. The dribbling sound effect within some of Loftee’s beats can get a bit distracting, taking away a bit of impact to the song. As for Trooth and his presence vocally, I definitely feel his emotion, his desire, his motivation, compassion, and love, yet there lyrically there are times where I felt that filler lines were dropped for the sake of “filling a gap” – and moments of fumbling/pace control within his delivery, but this is just me grasping for straws, as I believe without a doubt this album is worth your money and your time. Trooth has no doubt the ability to comically please you, challenge you, and allow you to see inside his life, whether present, past or future, his love, his heart aches, his failings, his doubts, his compassion, his motivations and inspirations, while producers Loftee Beats and Mat Rafle at most times help to encourage his message by providing sounds, beats and rhythms to compliment REBORN.

It’s raw, it’s real, it’s TROOTH. GET IT HERE 

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